Children's home run by Curam Domi Solutions Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2505172 1 Registered provider: Curam Domi Solutions Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This private home provides care for up to two children with emotional and social difficulties. There was one child living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in April 2019. The registered manager’s role has been vacant since July 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2505172 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/06/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/05/2022 Full Good 10/02/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness 09/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2505172 3

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improvement to be good

Five children have lived at the home since the last inspection. Some children do not settle in the home and there have been several short-term placements. Some of these children have had to move out in an unplanned way soon after moving into the home. This adds instability to children who have already experienced considerable disruption to their lives.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to develop their independence skills. Staff help children to learn how to budget and cook their own meals. However, staff and the manager do not consistently take action to address poor and potentially unsafe conditions in children’s bedrooms. This does not help children to feel safe and supported in their personal space.

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improvement to be good

The manager and staff take action when children are not in school. They talk with education professionals and provide children with educational activities at home. The manager advocates for home tuition for the children while appropriate schools are identified. Despite this positive, proactive work, staff have not yet been successful in helping a child who is new to the home to engage with their education well.

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improvement to be good

Children are routinely registered with universal health services and their health needs are met. Children are supported and encouraged to think about their health and the impact of lifestyle choices. Key-work sessions focus on relevant issues, such as diet, smoking and drug misuse. This helps children to understand the importance of good healthcare and life choices.

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improvement to be good

Staff recognise the value of children maintaining family relationships. Children are sensitively supported to spend time with their family and others who are important to them. The manager and staff also help children and families to overcome any difficulties in their relationships. Feedback from family members is positive about the way staff keep them updated and how they are included in their children’s lives.

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improvement to be good

Staff’s response to managing risk is variable. Although risks are understood and risk assessments include clear safety plans, staff do not consistently follow and implement these. For example, during one incident, a child who required two staff members was allowed to go out with one staff member. This led to an incident where the child was at risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Generally, staff manage incidents well and can de-escalate challenging situations. However, there have been some incidents when staff have had to call the police to Inspection report for children’s home: 2505172 4 manage children’s behaviour. This action is not always proportionate to the situation. In addition, leaders and managers do not routinely review and evaluate significant incidents and concerns to identify any themes, patterns or shortfalls. Therefore, opportunities to learn and improve staff practice to support children are missed.

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improvement to be good

Despite staff not following children’s individual protocols when they are missing from the home, staff and the manager do try to work with other professionals at these times. However, partners, such as the police, noted that staff responses vary when children are missing from the staff’s care. For example, staff and managers do not ensure that there is consistently clear communication about all known risks about children at these essential times.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers ensure that there is safe recruitment. This means that staff are suitably vetted, and managers can be assured that the staff are suitable to work in the home. However, not all references from previous employers are on headed paper or include a company stamp.

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improvement to be good

Children are helped to understand risks through regular individual sessions. Children engage well with staff and talk about what is happening in their lives. Key-work sessions are frequent, focus on children’s individual needs, and support the objectives of their care plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The leadership and management of this home are undermined by the absence of a permanent registered manager. The home has not had a registered manager since July 2023. The home manager was appointed in September 2023 but has not yet submitted a completed application to register as the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not have effective monitoring systems in place to review the quality of care provided to children and identify shortfalls in staff practice. This is largely due to the inconsistency in the quality of records. For example, one child had an incomplete care plan on their file, not all consequences are recorded, and managers do not routinely oversee and review incidents, including room searches. This compromises management oversight and the development of the service. In addition, the poor oversight of the home reduces the stability for children which is noted as an essential outcome of the home’s approach in its statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff training is not sufficient. Staff undertake a range of online and face-to-face training. However, they do not receive training in topics relevant to the children they care for, such as criminal exploitation, gang culture and knife crime. This training would help them to gain a broader understanding of the needs of the children in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff receive regular supervision. This focuses on a range of practice areas, staff well- being and support. Records are detailed so they can be referred to by staff later as required. Staff told inspectors that managers support them as needed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2505172 5 Feedback from external professionals is largely positive. External professionals told inspectors that staff have good relationships with children and are committed to supporting them as best as they can. However, there remain some professionals who highlight that clarity of communication is not yet good enough.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

One requirement from the last inspection is restated. Inspection report for children’s home: 2505172 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

A person may only manage a children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

the person is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

having regard to the size of the home, its statement of purpose, and the number and needs (including any needs arising from any disability) of the children—

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Requirement Due date

the person has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills to manage the home effectively and lead the care of children; and

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Requirement Due date

the person is physically and mentally fit to manage the home; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the person in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 28 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must apply to register with Ofsted and submit a full application.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 28 July 2024

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; 28 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2505172 7 help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that children have sufficient supervision for their needs. Leaders and managers should also ensure that staff adhere to the home’s protocol when children are missing from the home.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff are suitably trained to meet the needs of children in the home. In addition, leaders and managers must ensure that there are effective monitoring systems in place to review the quality of 28 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2505172 8 care provided to children and take action to address any shortfalls in practice or care that are identified.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff adhere to the agreed staffing ratios in children’s plans. 28 July 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they maintain good employment practice as set out in regulations 31–33. In particular, this relates to ensuring that all references from previous employers are on headed paper or include a company stamp. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should ensure that children have clean, tidy bedrooms and that any safety issues are addressed without delay. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2505172 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Curam Domi Solutions Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 86–90, Paul Street, London EC2A 4NE

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Inspectors

Helen Daniel, Social Care Inspector Dorothy Thompstone, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2505172 10 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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